Songs of Shadow
by Kris Celtuc
Summary: Vaati is wandering through Snowpeak when he sees someone huddled in the snow. He takes the person back to his palace and reveals who he is and what kind of story that shall unfold.Note: Has original character.
1. Chapter 1

Snow fell from the heavens silently on that cold night. A person lay there in the snow that was pigmented red with blood. The person was a woman, shivering uncontrollably while hacking and coughing up the blood that surrounded her. The winds howled and groan with their icy breath, just like the wolfoes that attacked her. Her heavy, warm garment was now reduced to shreds of fabric that covered her now deformed body. She looked up at the snow banks that glistened a pure white under the pale moon. She tried to lean on her nearly frozen hands to see whatever she could in the frosty wind. The falling snow became heavier, decreasing the visibility in the SnowPeak Mountains. She coughed again, feeling a spurt of warm blood come out of her mouth. Looking to the banks again, she saw a dark figure emerge.

She lifted herself up again and tried to yell out in her raspy, almost inaudible voice.

"Hey! O- Over here!"

She quickly stopped yelling, feeling a horrible sting that sapped at her energy. The form grew larger, getting closer to the girl. The girl found herself incredibly weak and fell back to the ground. She shivered again, starting to lose herself in the snowy void. The pale form of the other person, a male, knelt down beside the shivering woman. A light, feathery voice sounded from the man's lips.

"Do you want to live, miss?" His crimson eyes glared down to the woman whom nodded weakly. "Will you do anything to earn your life back, whether the deed is good or evil?" A small grin curved from his lips. The woman nodded again, feeling herself continue slipping into sleep. The man picked her up and chanted in the Hylian language. Both of their bodies started to turn into hundreds of specks that floated up into the mysterious void above.

The man and woman finally came to solid ground after traveling through the void. They ended up in front of a great ancient palace. The man yelled out in the Hylian language, the gate of the palace opening to his words. He turned to face the woman once again.

"This is my palace. I am the great Wind Sorcerer, Vaati. I use to be one of the Minnish. or how you would say, Pictori. Now thanks to my awesome power, I have managed to take on human form." He nodded to the woman in his arms who was now awake. She looked at the palace doors and then to Vaati. "T- Thank you, Sir Vaati." The girl's voice shivered along with the shivers of her own body. Vaati tightened his grip around the girl, carrying her into the palace.

They wandered through the halls that seemed to be a labyrinth. Long draperies were hung from the walls and candles lit the dark passageway. Even though this palace looked old, it seemed to be well taken care of, being there was no sort of dust, residue, moss, mold, or anything that was not clean. Vaati turned down one of the halls that lead to a single door. He still kept silent, kicking the door open. Inside was a single altar with four candles, one in every cardinal direction. A small wooden chest with elaborately carved wood sat in the edge of the room, tuck away against the wall.

Vatti set the girl down on the altar, covering her with his cloak. "Do not worry, miss. I am going to heal you." He set his hand above the shivering girl, light glowing from beneath his palm. The energy floated downward into the girl, mending her bones and bloody wounds. It seemed as if she was being reborn, no longer suffering in purgatory. The wounds were no longer seen on the surface of her body, but the mending within was still needed. Vatti kept the energy flowing for a little longer, letting the girl fall asleep. Once the healing was finished, he withdrew his hand and left the room. His voice spoke once again in the Hylian language to another dark form. The dark form fled into the shadows for a moment, returning with a long dress-like tunic and a long robe in its hands. The form entered into the candle-lit room, revealing his true form. A boy, age 16 or 17, entered the light. His shadow-black hair glistened under the light of the candles.

The boy set the clothes next to the girl and quickly left. The girl woke up several hours later, no longer feeling any pain. She looked hesitantly around the room, seeing the clothes that next to her. She quickly put the robe and tunic on, discarding the torn scraps that she had. After, she walked up to the doorway, trying to peer out of it. As she did, the candles in the room lost their glow, running out of wax. A voice emptied into the empty room.

"Ah. You're awake now." The voice chuckled softly, the voice reverberating into the room.

The girl looked around the room, seeing Vaati sitting up on the altar. "Ah! Sir, Vaati! Thank you for saving my life. I am gratefully in your debt." She bowed before Vaati who waved her off with a motion of his hand.

"Now, now... No need for that right now. Tell me, miss. What is your name, anyway? I don't think I have seen you here in Hyrule."

The girl gave a weak, nervous smile. "My name is Aesri." She waited for Vaati's response.

"Aesri? Sounds like a name that one would hear in Labrinia. Are you from that region? Never mind. Anyway, let's get you to a room. I will give you a tour of the palace tomorrow." Vaati started to walk out the door, signaling for the girl to follow him. They headed down the passage to what seemed like the main hall. Vaati took a swift turn, climbing up the main staircase. He led Aesri through more winding passages. They came across a candle-lit passage with a single door at the end of the hall. "Through there will be your room. I'm afraid that dinner has passed already, so we will have to wait until morning to eat. Pity, really… I was looking forward to a good meal. Anyway, if you want to take a bath, go to the main hall way and enter the opposite passage. If you get lost, Shadow will help you out." Aesri looked confused.

"Shadow?" Aesri said curiously. Vaati blinked for a moment.

"Ah. You haven't met him. He is a person that I forged from the shadows along with a bit of blood from the tarnished armor of the legendary hero. It has been over a hundred years. He should be alive soon if not now."

"The legendary hero? You mean the one who vanquished the Dark Lord, Gannon?" Aesri blinked, utterly confused now. She pondered, trying to remember the name of the hero. "L... Link was his name, right? I met a boy with that name before. He lives in one of the forests." She spoke hesitantly. Her eyes focused on Vaati's pale face, seeing him lost in though.

"Yes. He must be the incarnation of the hero from lore. No wonder Shadow is becoming restless. Link must be of age if not close. We will need to keep a lookout if Gannon has resurrected." Vaati turned to leave. "I anything is needed, scope out one of my servants. Don't fear their grotesque form. Some of them are Moblins and Stalfoes, so some may have some unappealing looks." He left the hall quickly as if the winds carried him. Aesri gave a bow, her hand reaching for the old brass handle of the door. She entered the dark room, trying to examine everything. There was an old bed made of metal and wood where some sheets and a body-sized pillow lay. Next to it was a small table with a pitcher of water and basin lay. Her eyes moved about, seeing the chairs, bookcases and tables and everything else was. Her eyes focused back to the bed again. The sheets looked darker with some sort of dark cloud floating above it. Two red orbs peered out of the fog, staring straight at Aesri.

A tall, sitting figure materialized on the bed, the form letting out a chuckle. Aesri stepped back letting out a small yell. "Who are you?!?" She stumbled backwards, falling on her back. The form loomed over her with a white grin.

"I am Shadow. I am sure Vaati has told you about me." He gave a quick gesture, almost like a simple bow of respect. His body was now fully materialized, wearing a black tunic, long white pants tucked away into large boots, and a hat. The entire garment looked like the one that the hero of legend use to wear except it was much darker. Aesri was shocked, not use to seeing people just materializing out of nowhere.

"Umm… Nice to meet you? " Aesri gave a nervous smile, still shocked. She took a second glance at Shadow. She noticed a dark aura emitting from the boys body. Shadow gave a shrug and stepped to the side, examining the new person that entered _their_ realm. He looked away with a snobby look to his face.

"I am curious. Why did Vaati let some random outsider like you enter this place? Why did he even heal you? I must say, Vaati isn't the kind of person who would show his kindness to a stranger." Shadow folded his arms across his chest, leaning against the wall. Aesri frowned, trying to recall anything.

"I do remember agreeing to do anything he wants me to do in exchange for my life. I guess I will be a servant?" She looked to the floor and back to Shadow, not knowing what to do. Shadow gave out a huff of breath, seemingly to catch onto Vaati's plan.

"Oh boy… Looks like one of two things. You will either be his errand-boy or his… Well, Hell I don't even want to think of what he could do, knowing him." He speaks with a teasing tone in his voice. He phases through the wall, letting out a loud laugh. Aesri grimaces at what Shadow said. _Well__…__ I did agree to do whatever Vaati wants me to do. _She cringes and shakes her head, standing back up. "Well… This is a pleasant start to my new life." She sighs deeply, walking up to a window and looking at the nightfall casting its shadow over the forest and the whole land of Hyrule.


	2. Chapter 2

Rays of moonlight filtered through the small window, the light stretching over Vaati's hunched figure. He sat at a table, his head cradled in his arms as he was deep in thought. Shadow phased into the room, kneeling before Vaati for a moment. He then stood up and waited for his creator to speck.

"Go into the forests… find the village that Link is in, then quickly report back to me. Don't hurt him yet. Don't even let him or anyone see you." Vaati mumbled the order, lifting his head up from the table. "Also, keep an eye out for anything that may hint Gannon's resurrection. I can sense the darkness that is looming over Hyrule." Vaati let out a small sigh of annoyance. Shadow bowed down and chanted similarly to what Vaati had done awhile back. His body was swallowed by the same void that did so to Vaati and Aesri. Vaati gave out another deep sigh, tired from the day. He stood up, walking away from the table and out of the room.

He walked through the labyrinth-like palace once again, leading to a room up in one of the towers, tucked away from the main halls of the palace. Inside was a large, canopy bed, decorated with elaborately shaped iron poles made to look like serpentine creatures, the mouths clutching an eye. Vaati removed his hat, cape and shoes, placing them on and next to a chair that stood close to the bed. He wearily lies down on the bed, his white hair spread across the pillow. His bangs rested on his face, covering the right eye as it always had. He shut his crimson eyes, trying to drift off into sleep, if only for a moment. For quite awhile now, sleep has been difficult, feeling the unfamiliar darkness that loomed around.

After what seemed like hours, Vaati found himself lost in his dreams, finding a moments peace from the hectic life he has led.

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Shadow slithered through the forests of Hyrule, his form being just a dark patch running along the grass. His senses were leading him to the one he was searching for. He raced by trees and plants, leaving no trace but a subtle breeze. The grasses swayed to the pound of his feet running across the ground. His crimson eyes let off a glow, being the only light in the forest other than the moon, stars, and the occasional wisp flying by. He knew he was near his target, the small elven boy of the forest, Link.

He slithered up a tree trunk like a snake and peered into the hollow tree where a window seemed to have been finely carved out. His eyes peered downward at the Hylian boy that slept, tossing and turning in mid-dream. Shadow graced along the walls and floors to get a closer look. A grin emerged from his face as he continued to look at Link, a blond boy with long ears. He was garbed in a green tunic; a so-called symbol of the forest but is unknowingly a replica of the tunic that the Hero of Legend wore. The boy was still quite young, just the same age as Shadows visual age.

Shadow looked at Link for a few more moments then slithered back out of the tree house and into the village. The village itself was small, only housing ten to twelve residents. Shadow came across a small sign in front of the main path that led out of the village. Shadow gave another menacing smile and spoke the villages name softly to himself. "Kokiria…" He fled instantly, headed back to Vaati's palace before dawn arose.

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Vaati had already been awake by the time Shadow got back, still an hour before dawn. He had been sitting that the desk he was at the night before, scribbling notes and thoughts onto parchment, the ideas already giving him a headache. Shadow emerged once again in front of the table, posing in a bowing gesture, his eyes full of pride. "I have good news, sir! I have found Link over in the village of Kokiria!" He let out a hearty laugh, still amused by being able to see his own self, but in a different body. Vaati looked up from the papers with a grin, happy about finally hearing some good news. "Great! Now all I need to do is figure out when Gannon will arise, or at least find out if he already has. According to the forbidden scriptures I carry, Gannon was normally born under the all female Gerudo tribe. That means we will need to go into their endless desert. Then again, I heard that sometimes, they hang around the castle town." He thought for a moment, thinking of the red-haired females, never to have actually seen them.

Shadow gave a small bow, "I will look around town and in the desert. I will try to be back before the sun sets… Oh, you might as well use that one girl you found as your servant. She should go into town and get some supplies and whatnot." He let the dark, wispy shadows take a hold of his body, ripping it into non-existence, his body becoming one with the shadows.

Vaati nodded to Shadows comment. It was a fairly good idea and would give the girl a chance to get use to Hyrule. He set down is pen and stood up, rearranging his cape so it wouldn't get caught on anything. He walked out of the room and down one passage to a large room that held cookware. In the corner, standing at a table chopping vegetables was a creature covered in cloths that hid its body and face, save for the two glowing eyes and bony limbs. Its hands were wrapped in fraying cloths. It turned to Vatti as he entered the room and spoke with only a sound that Vaati could hear.

"I sence a new presence in the palace… Are you aware of thisss?" It stared at Vaati with its blank glowing eyes. Vaati gave a nod.

"Yes. I want you to the guest bedroom and wake up our new guest. I found her dieing in the mountains yesterday and brought her here to recover and become somewhat of a servant. Go get her ready to go into town and I want you to escort her back to me." Vaati was firm on his demand. The monster gave a nod and began to walk off to awaken Aesri.


	3. Chapter 3

The hooded form entered Aseri's room, gently waking her up by changing the airflow with its magic, a shift that humans will notice. In a whispery, raspy voice, the form beckoned the girl to follow him.

"Come, come child. You are to start your day now. You must enter back into the "Light World" and go to Hyrule's castle town and pick up several things from the market." The creature took hold of Aseri's wrist, guiding her down a hall that was lit with dim blue candles, holding flames of a similar color.

Aseri, however, was not familiar with the creature, never have seen this creature in the "Light World" that she knew. "What is your name? I've yet to see anyone like you before."

The creature's hidden eyes lit up with a silvery glow. "My _name_? I have no name… However, I am known as a Garo, a resurrected knight of Ikana Canyon. That would be in the land of Termina… Another world similar to your own, linked only by a hidden shrine in the forest." The Garo stood for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. "Come little girl." He once again beckoned the girl to follow him"

Shadow emerged into the light world, anxiety filling his cold blood. He never liked being in the light, in fact, he was scared of it. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. After all, being created mostly out of dark magic, it was only normal that the Light would make him squirm. He kept in his shadowy form, slithering across the ground just like he did before.

He arrived at the entrance of the castle town, creeping along the walls in search of the red-haired Gerudos. This was a difficult task to do, for there were hundreds of people within the town. As he made his way to the southern entrance of the town, he saw Aseri approaching, just outside of the gate. Shadow quickly slithered into a darkened alleyway to change into a more humanoid form. His skin was changed to a pinkish flesh tone, different than the obsidian color it use to be. He didn't want others to know exactly _what _he was. This was the best he could do to disguise himself. He walked casually out of the alley, approaching Aseri without doing anything special to blend in with the crowd. "I see Vaati must have sent you here." He saw that she was glancing at a piece of paper.

"Mind if I take a look of that?" Shadow took the paper form Aseri's hand. "Hmm… Look like you are going to need some help carrying this stuff back." He frowned, staring at the list. "Hopefully, he gave you enough Rupees." He folded the paper, stuffing it into a satchel. The two walked about the town, stopping at the different stalls that cascaded the street, each stall carrying goods such as meats, fruits, breads, even trinkets and weapons. The basket they carried quickly filled with goods.

"Alright, we are almost done. There is one more thing I need to get. You go back to the palace, I won't be back for awhile." Shadow spoke with urgency. Aseri gave a quick nod, following Shadows command. She lent over, her mouth right next to his ear. "How am I to return to the "Dark World?" She whispered into Shadow's ear.

"Just go to the area in which you arrived here in. The Garo that sent you here will be there. If not, just wait for my return." Shadow spoke with a more quiet tone. He quickly ran off to attend to his own duties. Aseri gave a nod and walked out of the town, along the path she took to get here in the first place. She wandered towards the forest, trying to avoid any of the monsters that started to appear. _Hopefully, I'll be there before night falls. _ She thought to herself, knowing of the monsters that would appear as soon as the moon could be seen. She ran quickly to the forested area where she first appeared into the "Light World."

Aseri glanced around the area. "Garo? Are you here?" She frowned, not getting an answer. After a very short amount or time, the Garo shot from the ground, holding two rusty scimitars, each caked with blood. The Garo withdrew the swords, putting them away. "I'm sorry, child. Did I scare you? I had to hide myself here and we Garo have a habit of brandishing our weapons when we come out of hiding." The Garo walked over to a different part of the small clearing. "Alright. Now to return to the "Dark World" so we can get to the palace." The Garo took out and held two small bluish opalescent orbs in his hands. "Here, take one of them. These will take you into the "Dark World."

Aseri took one of the Orbs, quickly, her body seeming to flip over into the other World.

Shadow arrived into the desert as the sun started to set. It became very large and distorted in the warm desert air. Shadow kept walking into the desert, wanting to find the Gerudo tribe. The sun was still bright enough to make shadow cringe and there were no shadows that he could hide in until dusk. Luckily, the temperature was starting to fall, making it more comfortable than the usual hot and sticky desert air.

He found his way to a fortress, blocking off the rest of the desert. A faint call was heard, but the words were too hard to make out. A female guard, dressed in purple came charging at Shadow with a large spear. Shadow ducked away.

"I am not your enemy! Listen to me for a moment." He glared at the Gerudo with his deep red eyes.

The Gerudo glared back for a moment, and then slowly lowered the spear, still watching him carefully. "Speak what you need to." She spoke with a harsh tone.

"I am wondering if a male by the name of Gannondorf has been born." Shadow's tone was serious.

"Yes… he was born quite a long time ago. He is now our leader. Do you wish to speak with him?" The Gerudo stood her ground.

"I would enjoy that. Please… lead me to him." A grin crossed his face, eyes narrowed.

The Gerudo hesitated for a moment, but turned around, getting Shadow to follow. He followed her into the desert fortress. He was lead into a large hall, and at the end of it was a large towering throne. On it sat the evil legend himself. His green-skinned face laid on his fist, crouched over looking upon the boy that approached.

"Well, well… What do you bring me today?" Gannon spoke the Gerudo who had led Shadow to the great hall. The Gerudo bowed her head to the great lord. "I bring a boy who wishes to speak with you. He entered our fortress with no invitation." Gannon looked down at the boy who held a sly grin.

"Speak up, boy… What is it that you must bother me with."

"I am Shadow, servant of the great Wind Sorcerer Vaati of the Dark world. He sends you his regards and wishes to meet up with you at his palace."

Gannon's brow rose up for a second. "The _Dark World?" _He fell into interest. He had only heard of this land in the ancient scriptures, similar to the ones that Vaati had. "Alright, boy. Go back to your world and tell your master that I would like to join him." He waved his hand like one would to shoo a dog away, dismissing Shadow.

Shadow gave one last bow before turning out of the fortress. Night had already fallen, against his plans that he had made. He wanted to be back at Vaati's palace before sundown. He fled into the ground using his shadowy form once again for faster travel. By the time the moon was high in the sky, Shadow had made it back to the small forest clearing that Aseri was in several hours ago. He took a Moon Pearl from his pocket and warped back into the Dark World.

Shadow entered into the palace and quickly made his way to the room that Vaati spent most of his day in. He looked around for a moment, seeing that his master was not in this room. Had he gone to eat or already gone to bed? It was to early… The night had just begun.

"Vaati? Vaati?! Where the hell are you?" Shadow frowned in dismay. He gave out a long sigh of annoyance. After a moment he left the room in search for Vaati.

Aseri was sitting at an old table, eating an apple she picked off a tree in the Light world. It was bright red and very sweet, almost having the succulent sweetness of honey within its taste. She licked the sweet juices off her lips and looked at the spot she had bitten off. Her teeth-marks were imbedded into the crisp flesh of the apple. She took another bite as Shadow wandered into the room.

"Where is Vaati?" Shadow asked with a rushed voice.

Aseri gave a shrug. "He wasn't here when I came back. I tried to look for him, but my attempted failed." She gave a frown as Shadows eyes narrowed. He quickly marched out of the room with anger. He went back up to where Vaati would most likely have been in. He glanced at all the scrolls that were sprawled across the table. There was one small page that caught Shadows eye. A small note was placed on the desk for him to find. He picked it up and stared at the lettering. After a moment of reading, he crumpled the parchment in his hand, now knowing where Vaati had gone. Shadow tossed the paper down, feeling like an idiot. "So… you went for a WALK? Oh goddesses…" Shadow knocked several scrolls off the desk in frustration.

Shadow left the room and ran down to the main entrance to wait for Vaati and whatever his next task would be… At least things were starting to become a bit more interesting. He still remembered seeing his other self sleeping gently just the night before. It amused him greatly. He yearned to fight this other, wanting to see how it would be to entangle him-self into such an event.


End file.
